Aquasphere Kaiman Goggles – Product Review

I’ve written here a couple of times before about goggles. They’re such a key piece of swimming kit, and a poorly fitting or fogged up pair can make swimming a miserable experience. In fact, my first ever proper post here was a general piece on goggles!

I’ve also previously reviewed my favourite type of ocean swimming goggles, the Zoggs Predatorflex, but as you’ll have noticed I train in pools as well as the ocean, and I do find that my requirements are a bit different for those session.

In the pool, I prefer something with only a slight or no tint, and I definitely don’t need the polarised lenses I use in the ocean.

So my goggles of choice for my pool sessions are the Aquasphere Kaiman Goggles (not to be confused with the Aquasphere Kayenne – they’re quite different designs, believe it or not).

These were the first goggles I bought after I first started this whole journey 2 years ago…d been swimming with some super-cheapo nasty leaking speedos that had been floating around my bathroom cupboards for years. It was pretty life-changing to suddenly put on some decent quality goggles and be able to see! No fiddling every 50 metres, clearing out fog, adjusting and ending up with stinging chlorine eyes! It was a whole new world.

So what are the specifics here?

These are specifically designed for women’s faces…narrower in general and less space across the bridge of the nose. There are a few goggles out there that claim this, but these are the only ones that seem to have nailed it.

Anti-fog properties. I’d give them a 9 out of 10 for the first 15-20 swims, then a 7. As a comparison, the Zoggs predator flex get a 10 when they’re new, and a 9 after that. Most other goggles I’ve tried are a lot lower than that.

Super comfortable. The silicone seals are very soft and don’t rub and don’t leave as much of a “panda-eyes” mark as some of the tougher ocean goggles.

Durability. These last pretty well. I’ve had a couple of pairs and have sacrificed them to the sea gods before completely wearing them out. They do noticeably wear out over time, though, so if I had to guess I’d say I could probably get about a year of pool training out of them. Less if you’re wearing them in the ocean, and more if you swim less than me and/or look after them better than I do.

Adjustability. These are like my Zoggs in that they have adjustable ratcheted straps with a release. Other options for goggles are the ones where you have to take them off and undo a complicated series of figure-8 type closures and then put them back together. That’s probably OK for pool swimming where you can set and forget, but I like to tighten my straps in big surf (god knows I lose enough goggles in the course of a year) and loosen them in the pool and it’s just so much easier if you can do it while they’re on your face.

Good seals. These do a pretty good job of not leaking, Probably best out of every goggle I’ve tried. Like I said, though, they do degrade a bit over time, and this is one of the first signs that has started happening.

Reasonably priced. Even full price from Wiggle, they’re $22.22. At the moment they have a special on the tinted version at $13.95 a pair plus postage (worth bulk buying with friends until you get enough for free postage…or you could be like me who usually has enough kit in their basket on their own). If you’re in a hurry and can’t wait for postal orders, Rebel sports stocks them for around $40 a pair.

So there you go…my choice of pool swimming goggles. As always, different people have different preferences and different shaped faces, so goggle choice is personal and you may need to try a few until you find what you like, but in my opinion these are a pretty good place to start.